Breaking the barriers
by Starsurfer108
Summary: When revealed as the female titan, Annie is able to escape. What will this mean for Armin? Armin x Annie. ONESHOT. COMPLETE.


Armin woke up with a start. Another nightmare about the horrible revelation that Annie, one of their classmates, had been the female titan who had produced such devastation. During the confrontation, all doubts had been revealed, and he'd stated that he hoped he'd been wrong. He'd always hoped for the best, albeit quite foolishly.

Having escaped into the underground city, he couldn't help but wonder what the situation was like on the surface after Annie had transformed despite their best efforts to prevent her. How many more deaths could have been prevented if he'd planned better? How many deaths... were on his hands?

Always one to follow his heart, he couldn't help but wonder why his life had been saved - on the battlefield, she'd recognised him and spared his life. He didn't know why, but her atrocities surely couldn't let that moment of generosity from an enemy affect him too much.

Yes, she was the enemy. And nothing else.

"I'm going for a short walk," he said to the others, who nodded, knowing that his intelligence would allow him to find the way back. Putting his hood on, he eventually came to a point where there was an open view of the city. The sunset was so incredibly beautiful. It was a welcome reprieve from what seemed like an endless nightmare.

Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes, drinking in the last moments of sunlight for the day with his body. It was good timing, as the light suddenly decreased. When he opened them again, he stood in shock. The female titan was staring at him in the same way as before, and removed his hood.

This time, she immediately picked him up and shoved him in her mouth.

Squashed with no air to breathe, Armin struggled, then succumbed to unconsciousness.

A sea of light blue and fluffy clouds passed through his vision, complete with cooling breeze. Was this heaven? Or was this abstract nothingness a form of hell?

Then he realised he was alive.

Jerking his head around, he saw that he was on the female titan's left shoulder in the middle of open countryside. She was running towards a predetermined position.

Her eyes flicked to him, then flicked back to her course.

Shaking, Armin drew a sword. Annie looked at him, amused. Even this close to her nape, Armin could tell she wasn't worried about her safety.

With a shout, he raised it above his stomach and plunged it in, only to realise that Annie had stopped him with inches to spare.

Even in her titan form, Armin could tell she looked sad at his attempt to kill himself. Steadying himself, he glared back, letting her know he still regarded her as the enemy.

For the rest of the day, she kept him on her shoulder but kept her fingers either side of him so he couldn't use his ODM gear.

It was nearing sunset. Annie had tired quite significantly, and it was obvious that she was heading for the top of a nearby hill. They were about a hundred metres from the top, when the sun set. Losing strength from her already weakened Titan body, she allowed it to fall and disintegrate. Stepping out, she walked towards Armin, panting for breath. She looked like she was in no mood to fight, although she would rise to the occasion if Armin demanded it.

"What are you planning to do with me?" he asked as strongly as his weak body would allow.

"Who knows," she replied mildly. It was true. She could make something up like Armin being a dangerous enemy and needing to be neutralised, but it didn't really justify kidnapping.

Having been exposed, it was the end for her covert operation with the humans – that was definite. If she had stayed, she would now be hunted and killed, or even worse – be tortured.

"And why didn't you kill me before?"

She smiled. "Who knows. I'm honestly trying to figure that out for myself."

Armin frowned, still distrustful. As far as he knew, these apparent emotions she felt could just be a ploy to get him to follow her without a struggle.

As he continued to stare at her, he became aware of this 'whoosh' sound that occurred in regular intervals.

"Is it titans?" he asked fearfully.

"It's the sea."

Armin's mouth fell open. Rushing to the top of the hill, he embraced the view with open arms. "This is amazing! My grandfather told me about it, but it's even more incredible than I ever imagined!"

Annie wandered after him, curious about his intent reaction.

Armin turned to her. "Do you mind if we stay here for a bit?"

"OK."

Armin gaze was fixed on the sea, while Annie gaze was fixed on him, staring at him with wonderment. She could tell that he was trying to figure out as much as possible about the patterns of the waves and the way the sea behaved.

Strange kid.

When it became too dark to see, Annie motioned for them to go into a nearby enclave in the cliff.

Armin couldn't help but shiver from the cold breeze from the sea. Annie immediately gave him her jacket. Armin was surprised how cosy it was, obviously unnaturally warm from her titan heat.

When the heat wore off, Armin found himself being hugged from behind. Initially on edge and ashamed at his weakness, he eventually drifted off in her warm arms.

The next day, Annie awoke, immediately looking around to ascertain her bearings. Armin was already up and greeted her with a smile.

Seeing that he posed no threat, she said "Good morning."

"Good morning. So, where to now?"

"I want to return to my hometown in the mountains."

"I see," Armin said, a distant look in his eyes.

Annie cocked her head. "Someone like you might enjoy it there, having so many new things to study."

"I'm sure I would, being away from battle and playing with new discoveries… but it's not where I… feel I need to be."

Annie's eyes widened, and she stood up, brushing herself off. "Sometimes we don't have any choice in the matter."

"True."

She ran back, and transformed into her titan self, placing Armin on her shoulder, then dashed off.

Feeling sleepy and a bit queasy from the ride, he eventually dozed off, comfortable in her grip.

When he awoke, to his surprise, he was on the outside of Wall Rosa.

"Annie… you returned me!"

All she did in response was look at him, then looked back to her mark.

"Now!"

She grabbed his hand, skilfully avoiding the guards.

Panting, they hid behind a barrel on the other side.

Armin kept staring at her. She glanced down.

"Over here!" they heard a voice yell. Their spot was flooded with spotlights, and guards dashed towards her, trying to incapacitate her.

Spooked, she tried to fight back, but was overcome and incapacitated. Strong scouts dragged her away.

With a clink, she was cuffed to a wall in a dungeon, far away from natural light, left alone.

She didn't know how much time had passed.

The door opened.

It was Levi.

"First Titan Test – limit of endurance of pain." He dashed towards her with a ravenous look and whaled into her.

Her screams only stopped when her throat became too damaged to make any sound.

Hange Zoe looked down, excited. "Armin, I need help with the experiments on Annie."

"Eh?" He looked surprised – he already knew that they didn't trust him since he'd been kept near the elite squad at all times. "Help? What possible help could I be?"

"Well, we don't know. But you are an unknown factor. She did, after all, bring you back. She may hold affection for you."

Armin blushed.

Hange waved her arms. "So let's see how titans react with jealousy! We'll find you a girlfriend and parade you around!"

Armin was now as red as a beetroot.

Hange was now muttering to herself. "Now, to make it a very plausible scene of jealousy, I might have to get _her_ …"

That evening, Armin met a woman who looked very slutty, with breasts hanging out in a figure-hugging dress.

With a terrified expression, he stiffly walked down the corridor with the group.

When he entered the cell, he was surprised that he was actually relieved that Annie looked unhurt.

Annie's eyes widened as she saw him, as well as his close companion.

Immediately, the woman started kissing his neck and petting him. Armin tried to suppress his natural need for space in terms of physical contact.

"Who's she?" asked Annie.

Armin gurgled, shaking as the woman undid his shirt buttons and ran her fingers along his bare chest, all the while pressing her breasts against the back of his head.

"She's… my girlfriend!" he eventually blurted out. His eyes widened even further as her hand ran towards his crotch area. There wasn't anything that indicated that he was enjoying this.

Annie burst into peals of laughter, guessing what they were trying to do.

Armin glanced at Hange and Levi, who were watching the display, horrified. Hange gave the signal to end the experiment.

Immediately, Armin sprang away. "I don't think this is going to work out!" he yelled, sprinting down the hall.

"Wait! You're kinda cute!" the woman shouted out, running after him in her high heels.

Hange and Levi looked at each other and shrugged, walking out and shutting the cell door.

The next day, Hange called Armin again. "We know that as a human that she regenerates, just like a Titan. Her healing power is actually quite incredible despite the fact she is weakened from lack of sunlight. We'd like to introduce you again to see if there's any changes."

Armin nodded.

He entered the cell. Levi saw him, and started to brutally punch and kick Annie, causing her bones to splinter with each punch. Annie saw Armin, and looked away, ashamed and unwilling to cause him further pain even though she was the one actually physically experiencing it.

Eventually, Levi grabbed a knife and skinned her alive despite her screams, making her human form look like a titan.

Armin stood there, horrified by the spectacle which was beyond his wildest nightmares.

When Annie was an unrecognisable mess, Levi cleaned his knife and walked to the cell door. Seeing Armin's expression, he hissed "Don't forget what happened to us on the expedition." Not bothering with Armin, he left.

Annie's body began steaming and healing, preparing her for the next session of torture.

Armin pulled himself away from the sight and ran.

One day had passed. The cell door opened. Annie looked up defiantly, but her expression changed to one of surprise as she saw that it was Armin, alone.

With a determined yet worried expression on his face, Armin crept up and undid her restraints. "Follow me."

He skilfully led her to a concealed grating which was partially rusted. She easily broke it with a kick.

"All you have to do is go along the border and the exit should be obvious. This is your opportunity to go back to the mountains. If you decide to stay, your risk is your own. Do not expect intervention from me."

"I… want to go home," she said softly. Then she straightened up and looked directly at him. "You think it's safe in these walls, but it's anything but that. The enemy is closer than you think. Who is at fault for your predicament – the titans or those who have the ability to stop titans but don't want to?"

Armin was surprised at her obvious concern. His expression changed to something distant. "Why didn't you kill me that time?"

"Because, even though I'm your enemy, I can still recognise that you're someone worth saving." With that, she touched his chin and kissed him.

Breaking away, she smiled and jumped through the grate.

Armin was in Erwin's office, on his knees with hands tied behind his back. Erwin, Levi and Hange were there. Levi was glaring at him, eyes leaving no question that he saw him as a heinous traitor.

Erwin cleared his throat. "Let's get straight to the point. Why did you free the female titan?"

Armin knew that he had to be honest. His eyes dropped to the ground. "I… was responsible for her coming back. She was going to take me to the mountains, but she knew that I preferred to be here. I didn't know it at the time, but she decided on her own will to bring me back here. And… when we were exposed on our return, I saw her hand twitch. That meant that she'd contemplated turning into a titan, but decided not to. Most likely because of my close proximity, which meant that she might damage me. Or perhaps because I might get hit by the gunfire."

Erwin remained staring at him intently.

Armin looked up, straight at Erwin. "But, what made me decide to release her was Captain Levi. What he was doing to her was brutal, no doubt. But he said to me to remember the slaughter in the forest. I kept thinking after that… if I had no knowledge of the past, and if I just saw the situation at present, I'd say that he was the monster! You know that we have no history of why or how the walls were created, or the titan threat! How can we be certain that our ancestors didn't commit some kind of atrocity, for which this is an appropriate retaliation?"

Erwin's eyes widened. Levi blinked. Hange's expression became worried.

"I don't believe we could learn any more from her through our basic tests. And… what she said to me when she left has made me concerned. She said that the enemy is close – there are those within the walls who have the ability to stop titans and don't use it. At first I thought that it was everyone unwilling to risk their lives to fight, but even though, it's a stretch to say they're actually able to stop titans. It makes me wonder what more there is to our situation and history that we don't know. What purpose the titans serve these people who have the ability to stop them but don't."

Erwin took in a deep breath. "What you say is sound. But you have made a serious violation. Give me one reason why we should be lenient with you."

"Erwin-taichou, when she took me by the sea, I filled my gas canisters with salt. The survey corps are in dire need of funding. I think it would be good if you accepted this, in return for ignoring my actions."

Erwin smirked, knowing that Armin didn't really mean to bribe him – it was simply a hint that he shouldn't be so straight-laced, as it would make him a target for the corrupt officials. "Very well, Armin Arlert, I accept the salt that you have hidden in the sixth statue in the courtyard, and your crimes here are pardoned."

Armin gasped.

Erwin undid his restraints, then he and Hange left the room. Levi started to follow, then stopped. "As far as I'm concerned, the only thing that would justify this torture from them is if we'd tortured them in the same way at some point. And that could only happen if they think, they feel, they form relationships the same way that we do. Don't you think that's a bit of a stretch?"

"No, Heichou. I know first-hand that titans can do all of those things," Armin said softly, absent-mindedly playing with the scout's logo that was over his heart.

"Is that so," Levi murmured, walking out.

Somehow, Armin felt they'd all taken one step further towards a brighter future for humans, as well as recovering their humanity in the process.


End file.
